


Night walk

by ReWild7



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, Persona 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25058896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReWild7/pseuds/ReWild7
Summary: [BEWHARE OF P5S and P5R SPOILERS!!!]Ren can't sleep and decides to go for a walk in the middle of the night in Okinawa. He will do an unexpected encounter.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 10





	Night walk

Ren was still awake in the van, sipping his just made cup of coffee in a warm night at Okinawa. Their trip began three days ago, it was fun the feeling of the wind on his face when he stood up and slided the window to feel some fresh air and enjoy the view the day they departed. Everyone was deeply sleeping, and he could hear Ryuji snoring so loud that he couldn’t hear his own thoughts. Stupid Ryuji, you and your loud snoring. Ren grumbled, grabbed a pack of chips and sat outside, treating himself with a midnight snack.

He never stood up so late, except when he had to study; however now he was on vacation and it was almost four in the fucking morning, like his eyelids or brain never heard of being tired. Since he was awake he could even go for a walk, nah, too dangerous, who knew what kind of people could hide into the night at Okinawa. But after all, who cares, Ren was bored, and keeping his ass on the van’s step wouldn’t have made that night more interesting or either entertaining.

Walk? Walk. Good.

The sky was like a sorta of canvas with lot’s of little white points on it, and it was beautiful. Pointillism? That’s how that painting technique was called? Ah whatever the name was he was totally a blank page about art or any sorta of category that involves it. Yusuke would be so disappointed if him. Ren was still eating his chips though, he even grabbed a can of Coca-Cola before leaving for his walk. He could begin to hear the sound of the waves from the sea, he was close. _“Should I head back?”_ He thought looking back for a few seconds and then sake his head.

“Nah.”

He clicked his tongue putting another chip in his mouth and take a sip from his Cola. What a weird night. He could have walk how much he wanted, after all he could take care of himself. He could take care... of himself. Just like him. NO, no, no! Don’t let THAT make you feel down again, Ren. You have been doing great for the past few months, don’t let him inside your head again... oh god, just keep walking.

Another hour passed, and Ren didn’t have control of his legs anymore. They just, kept walking and walking. He thought to have gotten lost, or maybe he was already before realising that he walked to far from the van. But this didn’t seem to worry Ren at all. His chips and soda where finished already for a while and he couldn’t find a trash can to throw them away. Maybe he could become a trash can itself and save the planet again. Weird though, but Ren smiled. But after a few minutes of more walk he finally found the bins. The raven haired boy felt a random chill on his spine and took his hand behind his neck caressing it. He was feeling observed. Since he started the walk he felt a similar sensation but now it was truly intense. The boy thought that his paranoia was taking over him again, so he kept moving. Ren didn’t give it too much weight, but he was feeling very uncomfortable right now. Foot steps, someone was approaching him. Ren started to rapidly move his gaze from left to right, viceversa, and then turn himself with a rapid movement, rising his leg, for beat however was trying to hurt him on the face, just like Makoto teached him. But he realised that the only thing his foot kicked was air. Ren relaxed his leg and then go back to his standing pose. It must have been an hallucination for sure, Ren seriously needed some sleep because his brain was truly fucking with him.

“Impressive! You almost got me, heheh.”

What? He was hearing voices now?

“Heya, up here!”

Ren rised his chin on the sky, he was shocked. A black figure was sitting on the lamppost; it had yellowish glowing eyes, and what it seemed to be a long cape. Ren couldn’t see well, his eyes started to see blurry and it was too dark.

“W-Who are you?” Asked the raven with a slight trembling voice.

“Oh? Me? I thought you could recognise me! What a shame...”

Ren could clearly feel the disappointment of the black figure by his movements.

“Sorry, you know, I wasn’t expecting to meet some freak on a lamppost on five in the morning.”

“Freak? FREAK?! Have you heard yourself? Or better; is this how you refer to yourself?”

Ren shook his head, yeah, probably there was something in those chips he just ate.

“Ugh, whatever you say; you are not real.”

“I can prove you wrong.”

The black figure stood up, getting closer to the tip of the lamppost and then jump down revealing it self... or better himself. He was just like Ren, but in his Phantom Thieves clothes, red-orange hair, yellow eyes and a way darker skin. Step by step, he was getting closer to the raven haired boy. Ren couldn’t believe in what he was seeing, how could that be possible? H-He wasn’t in the metaverse! Ren quickly checked his pockets. Dammit! He forgot his phone in the van!

“Who are you? And don’t get any close to me!”

“I already told you jeez; I AM YOU, or maybe even better!”

“So you’re... my shadow?”

“Sooorta.”

“But how did you end up here outside of the metaverse? It’s impossible!”

The Shadow laughed, revealing his pointy and sharp teeth which his mouth was filled, just one bite and he could rip off Ren’s skin.

“As you can come into my world... I can go into yours. It’s not that complicated!”

“But HOW.”

“Secret, I’m sorry I don’t make the rules.”

“You use your phone like me?”

“Naaaaahh!! NAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! I said secret! And no we don’t have phones.”

We?

“There are more shadows like you here?”

“No, just me, the others are just cowards and decided to stay in the metaverse.”

Shadow Joker tilted his head smiling and then crossed his arms on the chest, like he was waiting for something from Ren, who was slowly trying to process if he was going crazy or the being that was proclaiming to be him was actually there for real.

“You still have doubts? Okay, time to prove you that I’m you.”

The shadow sat on a bin and Ren made a disgusted face. The carrot haired shadow invited the other to sit next to him, by cleaning the lid with his hand and then tap it two times. Ren shook his head, he didn’t trust him at all.

“I see... you don’t trust yourself enough uhu?”

“Stop blathering that!”

“No. You want me to say that in Spanish? Okay : **_¡No!_** ”

The shadow giggled.

“Where do I begin... oh! Yes, let’s talk about, him.”

Him?

“Who do you mean?”

“You knooooooow!!! Goro Akechi, pancake boy, the ace defective, or detective, birb man? Sorry, my memory is really bad. You almost had a mental breakdown for him an hour ago.”

Ren felt dizzy again after hearing Goro’s first name and last name. Yeah, now he remembered that, clear as ever.

“I see from your face that you just remembered something about him, uh? But honestly you never forgotten him.”

No answer.

“Come one RenRen, hahah! Don’t be a pussy. You used to love him so much, you wanted to stay with him, I know that, remember that I’m you! Selfish attic trash, now you could have him in your hands, hug him, kiss him, but you choose to sacrifice him. Why? Because you are selfish! Everyone could be happy, even you but no! You hate yourself so much that you choose to live in eternal pain, giving yourself an eternal punishment where you’ll always feel guilty from not making that choice! Maruki’s reality wasn’t enough, uh?”

“L-Leave him... alone...”

“Aw, you are about to cry? Sweet.”

Shadow Joker knew everything that was going inside Ren’s mind. His thoughts were solely about Goro now, and if he had the chance to scream his name into the night he would. But he was too afraid of someone calling the police because of some crazy boy yelling the name of another person into the night.

“Yeah, I know, it hurts. I guess you must have loved him a lot.”

“SHUT UP!”

Ren kneeled on the floor, he couldn’t hold his tears anymore. His body was collapsing on despair.

“Damn, you are so weak. I thought it would have taken longer to make you fall into despair but seems like that you are the weakest little shit I have even been connected with.”

Shadow Joker stood up and violently kicked Ren on the ground, making sure that the the pointy tip of his boots got deep enough to hurt Ren. He didn’t fight back.

“Weak. Pathetic. Stupid. Little shit. Coward!”

Every word was a violent kick in the stomach. Ren was crying. He was recalling the second of February, when they were standing in front of each other, after Maruki left proposing their ideal reality, where they could live together and forever. Together... forever. Ren never had the courage to confess his own feelings to Goro. He was a coward, his other self was right. Goro was... he was like that Jazz club where they often went to drink in Kichijoji; the soft lights and the dark atmosphere that wrapped both of them in a mysterious and pleasing atmosphere, where there were just the two of them. He was intriguing, and always wanted to taste those lips that Ren always imaged to taste like lavender. Often, when they both closed their eyes for enjoy the singer singing her usual song, Ren dared to take peek, to watch him smiling and slowly move his fingers on his legs following the rhythm.

“People... come and... they g-go...”

The shadow stopped himself from kicking Ren. He was singing? Damn he is so helpless! Ren was sobbing, he didn’t care about the vivid black and blue livids on his body. He was tired.

“Stop signing that stupid song; stand up and fight me like the true hero you are, Joker!”

He didn’t receive any answer, Ren kept humming, like in a sort of disconnection from reality. Ren didn’t know why all of the sudden he felt such a strong sadness overwhelm him that night. Yeah it happened many times, but not in the middle of a street in Okinawa! The shadow was slowly losing his temper again; and everything he wanted was just to kick him until he didn’t see his own vital organs come out from his mouth. Shadow Joker wasn’t weak, he was way stronger and he could prove that in thousands ways. But him... he could throw Ren into a river and he wouldn’t have reacted in his the actual status. He was nothing but garbage without the others protecting his ass from any sort of imminent danger. Pathetic. Ren didn’t fight back, he was just lying on the floor wrapping himself into a hug, like he knew that only Goro would have done. He missed him so much. He was still shocked. The shadow was sick of this. He decided to give him another kick.

“The day that’ll you’ll learn how to leave the past behind and do not behave like the little pussy you are, you know where to find me.”

Shadow Joker used the hook to reach the top of the nearest palace and disappear in the shadows.

“And you did this for what? You know that you could have hurt him very badly if you kept kicking him?”

Said another shadow scolding Joker.

“Why not? It was funny.”

“Yeah sure funny, we need him alive.”

“And the others?” “Fuck the others!; he is the wild card of the group, we need him more than the others.”

“And you? Do you need me?”

Shadow Joker winked to what it seemed to be Cognitive Akechi.

“Shut up, and do your job. Now let’s go back, we can’t stay here for too long, remember?”

The cognition lowered a bit the jacket sleeve, revealing a bracelet, it had a timer that was almost reaching the end.

“Yeah, yeah I know : if you stay outside too much you’ll disappear! I am not reckless!”

“Sure. But what about him though?”

Akechi said hinting Ren on the floor with his head. He was trying to put himself on his legs and walk back to the van.

“He will menage.”

“...”

“...okay! Okay! I’ll help him, we need him alive understood, jeez!”

“Get a move on!”

The shadow rapidly grabbed Ren by swinging with him until they reached the van. The dawn was coming and he left the other outside the van which was beginning to lose his senses. Joker didn’t care, he just left him there.

Ryuji woke up earlier that morning, the high temperatures were killing him, he couldn’t properly sleep. Sigh, he was missing his own room with fan blowing cold hair to him at night. He decided to go for a morning run on the beach and breath some fresh air, and maybe who knew, he could meet some girls to hit on. The moment he put his foot outside he screamed so loud to wake up the others.

“Who is the lady in danger??”

Said Yusuke running off the van and then to realise that it was Ryuji that screamed. But Ren was next to him full of livids.

“Holy shit Ren!”

Ann ran next to him putting a hand on his forehead. No sign of a fever luckily. Makoto, Futaba and Haru worried has well, but they where petrified.

“Who did this to you?” Asked Haru on the edge of tears.

Should have he told them the truth about his other self randomly beating him up because he remembered him of Goro? Would they believe him? Probably not. But they went through many bizarre things together, but maybe this one was the craziest shit he could tell them.

“I... I... don’t remember.”

“Dude, whatever happened is not great, you have to remember!”

“Ryuji, shut up! He heavy hurt, don’t tress him!”

Ren lowered his stare. Futaba handed Ren’s phone to him, Sophia was also worried and she was crying. Everyone and Ren himself tried to make her stop. Successfully she calmed.

The phantom thieves spent their fourth day taking care of their leader. The little A.I., tried to cheer Ren up by showing him random funny memes around the internet which he enjoyed a lot. Ren never regretted his decision to choose the true reality. Goro would have hated him if he dared to choose the reality proposed by Maruki and so Ren would have hated himself to live in a fake world. Deep inside himself, he knew that he wasn’t done with Goro Akechi. He pulled the glove out his pocket and gave it a kiss and then smell it with a deep breath.

“I know we’ll meet soon, just you wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sort of AU?? Where I make the P5S and P5R plots cross because why not?? Let's mess around??? I wrote everything more or less what I image to be a first encounter between Shadow Joker and Ren outsite of the metaverse. I tried to mage this FF kinda angsty?? But I'm not really good with that rhuegyu. So yeah, I hope you liked it and you could undertand what I wrote bc english bad, but I can always get better, haha.


End file.
